Arsenal closed in on a first Premier League title in 22 years by seeing out a tense 1-0 win over Burnley on Monday in its penultimate game of the campaign, thanks to Kai Havertz’s first-half goal. The result means second-placed Manchester City must end Bournemouth’s 16-game unbeaten run on Tuesday to take the title fight into the final weekend. Even so, Arsenal will be crowned champion if it beats Crystal Palace away on Sunday. It would be Arsenal’s first league title since 2004, when the “Invincibles” went unbeaten under Arsene Wenger. Current manager Mikel Arteta is two wins away from delivering the club’s greatest ever season as Arsenal also plays Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on May 30. “It’s been an amazing season so far. We’ve got one big one left here (in the league) and then the Champions League final,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard...

Two teenage shooters opened fire at a San Diego mosque on Monday and killed three men – then killed themselves a few blocks away – in an attack police are investigating as a hate crime. There was no specific threat made against the Islamic Center of San Diego but authorities found evidence that the suspects engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said. He declined to give more details, but said the “circumstances that led up to this” would come out in the days ahead. Before the attack, officers were already looking for one of the teenagers since his mother called police concerned that her son was suicidal and had run away, Wahl said. There were weapons missing from the home and the mother’s vehicle was gone, he added. The search took on even more urgency as police learned that he was dressed...

Alex Borg launched the Nationalist Party’s electoral programme during the PN General Council, promising sweeping tax cuts, lower utility bills, major investment in healthcare and a “new direction” for Malta under the party’s “Fresh Start” slogan. Addressing party supporters, Borg said the programme was not simply an electoral programme but “a plan about people’s lives, families and the future of their children.” The PN leader outlined a programme built around 16 pillars, including the economy, healthcare, education, mobility, governance, tourism, Gozo, the environment and social policy. Throughout the speech, Borg argued that many Maltese and Gozitan families were struggling with the rising cost of living despite working hard and making sacrifices. “Too many people are waking up early, working all day and still asking themselves at the end of the month how they are going to cope,” he said. A central part of Borg’s address focused on...

Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Robert Abela on Monday evening emphasised his party’s credibility to govern, particularly when compared to a Nationalist Party which has consistently made mistakes throughout its electoral campaign. Speaking in an interview in Kalkara, Abela said that the Labour Government has a clear vision to continue strengthening the economy, creating quality jobs, and investing in families, young people, and pensioners. More importantly though, Abela said that the PL has credibility on its side.  That credibility is born out of its track record of guiding the country through enormous international crises such as wars, a global pandemic and, most recently, a global energy crisis. He contrasted this with the PN, which he said has made one mistake after another throughout its electoral campaign. Abela pointed out how the PN had said that its planned aid for first-time property buyers would cost €2.8 million...

Marsaxlokk FC has officially challenged the outcome of the Malta Premier League final against Floriana FC by filing a formal protest with the Malta Football Association. Floriana secured both the match victory and the league title on Saturday thanks to a highly controversial goal in the 92nd minute. According to Marsaxlokk FC, the decisive goal occurred when a throw-in traveled directly into their net without touching a single player on the pitch. While officials officially credited the goal to Bosnian striker Kenan Dervisagic following a cross from Carlo Zammit Lonardelli, Marsaxlokk insists that high-definition video evidence proves otherwise, showing the ball flying cleanly from the thrower’s hands, bouncing, and entering the net untouched. The club argues that the referee committed a critical technical error by validating the goal. They cited the IFAB Laws of the Game, which explicitly dictate that a goal cannot be scored directly from...

The General Workers’ Union approved a new leadership team during an Extraordinary Congress on Monday, with Kevin Camilleri succeeding Josef Bugeja as Secretary General of Malta’s largest trade union. In a statement, the General Workers’ Union (GWU) said it has entered a new chapter following the approval of a new leadership team during an Extraordinary Congress. Delegates officially approved the appointments of Kevin Camilleri as Secretary General, Kevin Abela as Deputy Secretary General, and Robert Micallef as International Secretary, marking what union officials described as a moment of continuity and renewal for Malta’s largest trade union. Addressing delegates for the first time as Secretary General, Camilleri outlined a vision focused on sustainability, digital transformation and stronger engagement with union members. Speaking about the future of the union, Camilleri said that the rapidly changing world of work requires the GWU to lead change rather than simply react to...

For all the talk of democracy, fairness and equal opportunity in election campaigns, one truth remains stubbornly unchanged: governments enter elections with advantages that opposition parties can never match. The power of incumbency is real, and in Malta it is being exercised to the fullest extent. This is not unique to one administration. Governments of different political colours have done it before. But the current Labour administration has refined the practice into a political science of timing, visibility and State-backed generosity. In the last days alone, the country has seen money distributed to band clubs, collective agreements signed with workers, restoration projects announced, roads suddenly prioritised, and first-time buyers receiving €1,000 cheques ahead of schedule. Every announcement is wrapped in the language of national progress, but the political timing is impossible to ignore. These measures are not being unveiled in some neutral administrative vacuum. They are being...

Three women have been arrested by the police following an anti-drug operation targeting an alleged trafficking ring operating out of a residence in Qrendi, the police said Monday. The arrests were made yesterday at around 1pm after days of intense surveillance and investigation. Acting on a court warrant, police officers conducted a raid on the property, where they discovered approximately 100 grammes of a substance believed to be cocaine. The seized drugs carry an estimated street value of €13,000. In addition to the narcotics, officers also confiscated several mobile phones and various pieces of drug paraphernalia associated with trafficking. The three suspects include a 40-year-old woman from Qrendi, alongside a 35-year-old and a 28-year-old, both residents of Valletta. Following the raid, all three individuals were taken to the police lock-up in Floriana. The 35-year-old suspect is scheduled to be arraigned in court today at around noon before...

Napoli secured a spot in next season’s Champions League but the other two remaining places in Europe’s elite club competition could go to any of four teams in Serie A. Scott McTominay, Amir Rrahmani and Rasmus Højlund scored to help Napoli to a comfortable 3-0 win at already-relegated Pisa on Sunday to ensure Antonio Conte’s team will finish in the top four of the Italian league, with just one round remaining. AC Milan and Roma also won on Sunday to leave them level on 70 points in third and fourth place. Juventus and Como were two points further back and can’t catch Napoli on 73 points. Milan and Roma play Cagliari and Hellas Verona, respectively, in their final matches. Juventus visits Torino in the derby and Como travels to Cremonese. Just like in the penultimate round, all those matches will kick off simultaneously. Inter Milan won the...

The Labour Party collected the record sum of €1,880,266 during a fundraising marathon held Sunday before and after the mass meeting in Mqabba. The final figure was announced by Chief Executive Leonid McKay, together with Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, Deputy Leader for Party Affairs Alex Agius Saliba and members of the Labour Party administration. The marathon, which was opened by the Prime Minister’s wife Dr Lydia Abela, was broadcast live on ONE station from midday onwards. Prime Minister and Labour Leader Robert Abela, members of the Party administration and Labour Party candidates for the upcoming 30th May general election attended the event.   Source link